Nicholas Hill, co-founder and creative director, tells the behind-the-scenes story of the VITA fragrance.
The fragrance ‘VITA’ is a distillation of many disparate sources of inspiration, with of course Giovanni being the common thread which ties them all together. From Italian typography from the late 1700s to the scent of Sicilian lemons; from the contrasting gold and black lava flows of Mount Etna to the incense aromas of the churches from Giovanni’s childhood, we have explored the personal and cultural influences which have helped shape Giovanni.
Central to the story of VITA – Italian for ‘life’ – is of course the fragrance itself, a deceptively complex scent which slowly evolves from the initial burst of the fresh marine and bergamot top notes which recall Giovanni’s enjoyment of the sun-kissed coasts of the Mediterranean. VITA then unfolds to reveal aromatic sage, a plant native to southern Europe, along with the ‘dew of the sea’ Rosemary and Geranium. The darker base notes then come to the fore, the Sicilian Incense combined with the earthy aromas of Patchouli give a depth and sensuality to contrast with the vibrant energy of the top notes.
Giovanni’s passions and influences have helped shaped all aspects of the fragrance, including the bottle and packaging design. For example, the VITA font pays homage to the classical serif typeface designed by Italian Giambattista Bodoni in the late eighteenth century. The central ‘I’ and ‘T’ of the name stand like two classical Doric columns between the ‘V’ and ‘A’ (the latter being a pure inverted ‘V’ derived from the Greek lambda without the later adornment of the horizontal bar), reflecting the ancient symbols for woman and man – a subtle nod to the unisex appeal of VITA.
Our aim in creating VITA was to capture and reference the wide cultural influences which have shaped Giovanni, to produce a personal fragrance which evokes the vitality and sensuality which is uniquely Sicilian; uniquely Giovanni Pernice.
We hope you enjoy wearing VITA as much as we have enjoyed creating it.